The following morning, the project division was unusually quiet. No one was discussing what Orian would do next. Everyone was waiting for the security report.
The head of the cybersecurity department, Marcus Hale, rushed toward Elena’s office.
Employees watched him pass, murmuring among themselves.
Had Elena really leaked the project framework? Or was someone else behind it?
"He looks tense," one employee whispered.
"Of course, he does. The entire company is under investigation. You can imagine the pressure on him."
"My hands have been shaking all morning," a woman said. "I don’t know what is going to happen."
"I heard Mr. Rowan had a meeting with the executives this morning," someone chimed in. "He is furious. He is not going to spare anyone who betrayed him."
The speculations went on and on, while Marcus entered Elena’s office. He closed the door behind him and walked toward her desk.
"We’ve completed the first stage of the investigation." His face was grim.
Elena was equally serious. "What did you find?"
"There was authorized access to the project’s confidential database three nights ago."
Elena stiffened in her place.
"At 11:45 pm," Marcus continued. He tapped on the screen and handed her the tablet.
Several files appeared.
"The core framework documents, the preliminary deployment strategy, and several internal technical summaries—everything was accessed."
Elena’s expression changed.
Those weren’t ordinary documents. They were the most sensitive materials in the entire project.
"Five minutes later, the files were copied and printed out," Marcus continued.
"Can you determine who accessed them?"
Marcus hesitated before saying, "I already did."
Elena’s eyes narrowed. "What did you find?"
Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow. Then he looked directly at her. "It was accessed using your credentials."
Silence.
For several seconds, Elena didn’t move. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She wasn’t there at the office that night.
"What?" Her mind went blank.
Marcus nodded to the tablet in her hand. "You can check the access records yourself."
She scrolled through the data. And she froze.
Her user ID was there. Her credentials had been used to access the confidential files.
Elena stared at the screen with disbelief. "No. This is impossible." She looked up at him. "Can the record be wrong?"
Marcus shook his head. "The authentication system recorded a successful login using your credentials. The system itself hasn’t shown any indication of an error."
But Elena wasn’t ready to believe it. Her fingers tightened around the tablet. "Where was the login made?"
Marcus tapped another entry. "The access originated from your assigned workstation."
A stunned silence followed. Elias’s expression hardened.
"My workstation?" Elena’s voice was barely audible. "You mean from this office?"
"Yes, ma’am."
Elena stared at Marcus. "That isn’t possible."
She turned the screen toward him. "Look at the time of login. It’s almost midnight. I never stayed that late at the office. That night, I left early."
She remembered it now.
Three days ago, Evelyn had invited her to dinner. Elena had left the office before seven and gone directly to the Rowan family mansion.
"Yes, madam," Marcus affirmed. "I checked the records. Your building access card confirms that. You exited at 7:08 p.m. But..."
Elena’s brows furrowed. "But what?"
"You entered the building again at 11:03 p.m. According to the records, you went directly to your office, accessed the confidential files, and remained inside for nearly an hour."
Elena’s mouth remained hung open. She clearly remembered never returning to the office that night. How could the records say otherwise?
"It wasn’t me. Someone used my access card. Check the security footage. You can find out who entered my office and used my card."
"I am so sorry, ma’am." Marcus hung his head down.
Elena’s heart sank. "What do you mean?"
"Three days ago, maintenance work was being carried out throughout the building. The surveillance system was temporarily taken offline."
He hesitated.
"I’m not sure whether anything was recorded. Even if there are backup recordings, it may take some time to recover them."
Elena’s stomach tightened.
"But the access card record shows that all the team members left by nine that night," he continued. "No one returned, but you."
Elena’s heart clenched so hard that she almost couldn’t breathe. For a moment, she felt as though the room had become smaller.
"Although these findings cannot solely prove that you leaked the information, they are sufficient to raise suspicion. The whole team may turn against you. Some may even accuse you."
Elena’s stomach knotted. "So, you mean..." Her voice trembled slightly. "I’m the one who leaked the information to our rival."
She swallowed. "I’m the one who betrayed the company."
Marcus shrugged, seemingly helpless. "With the preliminary evidence we have, everything is pointing toward you, ma’am."
Elena leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk and pressing her fingers against her temples.
Elias had already warned her. If she couldn’t prove her innocence, even he might not be able to protect her this time.
She had hoped the security investigation would uncover something—anything—that would lead them to the mole, to Vivian. Instead, every piece of evidence seemed to be turning against her.
How was she going to prove her innocence?
Her thoughts were spinning so rapidly that she could barely think straight.
Then Marcus spoke again. "But there is a way out."
Elena lifted her head. A faint spark of hope appeared in her weary eyes.
"If you can prove that you were somewhere else at the time, things will go in your favor. That would give us enough time to investigate who actually used your access card and entered your office."
Elena ran through her mind.
Evelyn had insisted that she stay at the Rowan family mansion. But Elena had eventually returned to the penthouse. She remembered telling Evelyn that Elias would worry if he returned from work and found her missing.
Her eyes suddenly brightened.
"Yes." She straightened. "The security footage from the penthouse." Hope entered her voice. "I returned to the penthouse before eleven. I can prove it."
"That’s great." Marcus let out a sigh of relief. "Show the footage during today’s meeting. If it clearly proves you were at the penthouse, it will be strong evidence of your innocence. Meanwhile, I’ll continue investigating who used your credentials and access card."
"Thanks, Marcus."
Marcus nodded. "It’s my job, ma’am. I’ve been working for Mr. Rowan for five years. My loyalty is to him and this company."
He paused. "Mr. Rowan specifically instructed me to get to the bottom of this and find the mole. I’ll do everything I can."